Spiffy:

Iffy:

Spring 2005 release is so far away; what was Microsoft smoking when it passed on publishing this?

Longtime fans of the Oddworld series might be taken aback by this latest entry. Oddworld Stranger is a very different type of game than the action/puzzle games that you might be used to. Heck, the "so ugly they're cute" stars of the previous games, Abe and Munch, are nowhere to be seen in Stranger. This protagonist this time is a gruff bounty hunter known only as Stranger (we have title!), who looks like a cross between a young Clint Eastwood and those kangaroo things from Tank Girl.

Even the setting is new. Gone are the high-tech factories and science labs. Stranger takes place in Oddworld's version of the Old West. In fact, most elements in the game, from the hero to the villains to the story, have a definite Sergio Leone feel to them.

Stranger starts his adventure on a quest to track down some ruthless bad guys. You begin the game in a small town where townsfolk roam the streets. The Oddworld series' trademark "GameSpeak" is used here to chat up the locals. GameSpeak feels more natural in this game than in any of the previous entries. Instead of having to remember various button combinations to say what you want, one button makes Stranger speak whatever's relevant to the situation. As you wander around town before accepting a bounty, he'll ask where the Bounty Store is. Don't be too surprised to get a sarcastic response every now and then: "I dunno ... maybe right under that giant sign that says Bounty Store."

After accepting a job, you leave town and begin tracking down your prey. The main bounty and all his thugs will earn you money if you capture them (with Stranger's magical vacuum device). You'll get double the pay for capturing them alive, so using non-lethal force is encouraged.

That's not to imply that you can't arm yourself with a wide variety of weapons. Oddworld Inhabitants is pushing the concept of "live ammo" in Stranger, meaning that the ammunition is actually alive. Several types of small animals inhabit Oddworld, and by collecting them you can launch them out of Stranger's dual-chambered crossbow. These creatures include smack-talking chipmunks that lure enemies to them (the enemies are rushing to stop on the little guys to shut them up), skunks to incapacitate foes, explosive bats, spiders than wrap bad guys in their web, and wasps that can shoot their stingers like a machinegun. Remember the Fuzzles from Munch's Oddysee? Those vicious little furballs that Munch was trying to rescue? You can even collect them; they act as a land mine, leaping at and ripping apart anyone foolish enough to walk near them.